From NASA, regarding the space-mission to non-planet Pluto:

This five-frame sequence of New Horizons images captures the giant
plume from Io’s Tvashtar volcano. Snapped by the probe’s Long Range
Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) as the spacecraft flew past Jupiter
earlier this year, this first-ever “movie” of an Io plume clearly shows
motion in the cloud of volcanic debris, which extends 330 kilometers
(200 miles) above the moon’s surface. Only the upper part of the plume
is visible from this vantage point – the plume’s source is 130
kilometers (80 miles) below the edge of Io’s disk, on the far side of
the moon.

The appearance and motion of
the plume is remarkably similar to an ornamental fountain on Earth,
replicated on a gigantic scale. The knots and filaments that allow us
to track the plume’s motion are still mysterious, but this movie is
likely to help scientists understand their origin, as well as provide
unique information on the plume dynamics.

VIA NEW HORIZONS
 

Alexis: that toad is big

Via National Geographic

thrillingwonder.blogspot.com linked to these awesome pictures of the "dry valleys" of Antarctica, which are snowless stretches of land in which everything looks awesome:

Some smoking snow: 

Post on thrillingwonder.blogspot.com

Original(?) post (in Russian)

For VOLCANOES, that is.

AWESOME SPACE VOLCANOES.

From the planet volcanic region of Jupiter’s moon Io TVASHTAR.

It may look like this planet is wearing a tiny, cheap toupeé, but that’s actually a picture of a Giant Space Volcano on Io. According to Spacemongers Extrordinaire NASA,

This processed image provides the best view yet of the enormous 290-kilometer (180-mile) high plume from the volcano Tvashtar, in the 11 o’clock direction near Io’s north pole […] The remarkable filamentary structure in the Tvashtar plume is similar to details glimpsed faintly in 1979 Voyager images of a similar plume produced by Io’s volcano Pele. However, no previous image by any spacecraft has shown these mysterious structures so clearly.

The image also shows the much smaller symmetrical fountain of the plume, about 60 kilometers (or 40 miles) high, from the Prometheus volcano in the 9 o’clock direction. The top of a third volcanic plume, from the volcano Masubi, erupts high enough to catch the setting Sun on the night side near the bottom of the image, appearing as an irregular bright patch against Io’s Jupiter-lit surface. Several Everest-sized mountains are highlighted by the setting Sun along the terminator, the line between day and night.

More at the New Horizons mission webpage. The mission being to go to Pluto. That is all.

CAT PRIN — the tailor for a cat you know — it is — fact which will become dearer than former if a cat has clothes on

Don’t you doubt? “Although I want to dress with dress extravagant with my cat, doesn’t a cat dislike having” clothes on?
It is impossible that continue for time long to be sure, and you continue dressing a cat. But about [ to which you dress a cat and take a commemorative photo on special days, such as a birthday of a cat, ] is OK.

We want you to enjoy the clothes of the cat of CAT PRIN as follows by the reason for calling it …

1. You need to dress a cat. And you will say to a cat together with a family. “It has changed just for a moment”. [ “it being very dear” or ] You will pass pleasant one time.

2. If a family and a cat become fortunate, you will take a commemorative photo! Therefore, please photo your cat lovelily with much trouble.

3. If it finishes taking a photograph, you will make it remove clothes from a cat immediately. You will say then, without forgetting the language of gratitude to a cat. “– be flooded — a way — good — having done one’s best — ! — ”

Many, many, many more cats after the jump.

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So some guys in a boat caught a COLOSSAL SQUID (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) off Antarctica, while it was eating a Patagonian toothfish (which also exists, I guess). Apparently the Colossal Squid is a lot like the Giant Squid, but (according to Wikipedia, always known for accuracy), besides being colassaler,

[u]nlike the giant squid, whose tentacles are equipped with suckers lined with small teeth, the suckers at the tips of the Colossal Squid’s tentacles have sharp swiveling hooks. Its body is wider and stouter, and therefore heavier, than that of the giant squid. Colossal Squids are believed to have a longer mantle than giant squids, although their tentacles are shorter.

Holy CRAP. SHARP SWIVELLING HOOKS? This just replaced the vinegaroon in my nightmares.

Via National Geographic, BBC

Here’s a picture of a Patagonian Toothfish. Delicious.

Want some painted horse? Click here.

Discussion of ethics of cat painting here.

papermag.com picked this up here.

Credit to colleague Anna for the huge email in Russian with all the pictures.

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